


He Came for Me

by charn14



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Dissociation, F/M, Hallucinations, Mentioned Mike/Jess, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychosis, only pain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-04-29 03:07:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5113829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charn14/pseuds/charn14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of "Until Dawn", Jessica's mental state begins to deteriorate. She experiences trauma incomparable to her friends; she was dragged through the snow by that thing, nearly killed. Nearly eaten. But he came for her, and died. He came for her, and saved her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Help Me

“He came for me,” Jessica mumbles. “He did!” Her words fall from her mouth like snowflakes; cold, gentle, frail. All she says, she does, is weak and limp. “Where is he…? Did he make it…?” Even now, she sounds defeated.

“The explosion,” the officer says. “It looked like he was propelled by the blast. He died instantly.” He softens his eyes, attempting to console her.

But, Jess breaks.

She can not hold herself together.

She jerks forward, vomiting.

She hasn’t eaten for hours. She felt faint already, feeble and decrepit, but the news about Mike makes her lose her balance. Even her vomiting is weak; if anything, she spits it up like a newborn child; nothing forceful or violent. Stomach acid dribbles down her lips and onto her bare legs. She coughs weakly.

“Oh, God,” the officer spat, jumping back as she coughed the last of whatever was left in her stomach. “Jesus—fuck!” He stands up and guides Jessica to her feet. He leads her to the door and called in another officer. Jess hears him mumble to the woman about getting Jess cleaned up. She nods and takes Jessica by the arm. “Follow me, sweetie. We’ll get you nice and clean.”

Jessica finds herself standing in front of a mirror, studying herself. The officer woman stands outside the bathroom door to give Jess privacy.

Jess hasn’t even showered since they brought everyone back. They wanted to get everyone’s stories together before taking anyone to the hospital. She still has blood and dirt on her body and in her wounds. She only has her underwear on, despite the blanket they gave her, which pooled at her feet. That thing took her when she and Mike were in the cabin.

Mike.

Jessica tilts her head as she studies herself. She looks like a mess: her eyes are sunken, her braids have fallen apart. Scratches and claw marks coat her body, most notably on her face and neck. Her mouth hangs open slightly. Her eyes hold no light; they look dead.

She can’t recognize herself. She moves her hands and touches her body, her wounds, but even the motion cannot bring her to this reality. She is this now; a broken body, a broken soul. She lost Mike. She is lost, bloodied, and fragmented.

Still, the reflection is not her. It can’t be. No, no, no. Jessica is beautiful, with perfect hair and skin. This thing in the mirror will have scars for the rest of its life. How can it be her?

A knock comes from the door. Jess screams and covers her ears. She falls to the ground as the police woman rushes in. Jess sits, shaking from the sudden sounds. The rush of movement from the officer causes her to scream again.

No, it’s that thing, it’s coming for her again. That thing that thing that thing. She sees it in front of her, with its spindly arms and decaying, grey skin. It reaches for her, again. It wants to take her back to the mine! She holds herself and attempts to move away. “No! No, no, no, get away from me,” she mumbles. “Get away!”

She screams incoherently about getting away. “Get away from me!” She begins to cry as the woman slowly eases down to her level.

“Hey, shh, shhh, hey,” she reaches a hand to Jessica, but she scurries back into the corner. “Hey, Jessica? Hey, girl, come here. Come back to me. You’re alright, you got that?” Jessica hesitates. She looks towards the sound, expecting that thing, but instead the image fades and she’s left with the police woman again.

“That’s right. You’re safe, got that Jessica? You’re at the police station, remember?” Jessica looks terrified. Her eyes are now alight with pure fear, but she begins to regain herself. She nods slowly, and looks around.

She’s in a bathroom. She’s lying near a bathroom stall. Across from her is a sink with a mirror. She’s backed into a corner. “I’m… I’m in a police station,” she contemplates as she speaks. She lets the words roll around in her mouth to let them sink in.

“That’s right, girlie. We were trying to get you cleaned up, remember?” The woman slowly reaches for Jessica again. Despite the immediate jerk back, Jess accepts the gesture. The woman helps Jess back onto her feet. “You were sick, remember?”

Jess, confused, looks to the mirror across from her. Again, she cannot recognize herself. She looks back at the woman. “I… I think I do,” she lies.

The woman nods reassuringly, guiding Jess to the sink. “Here, let me help you.” She turns on the water and places Jess’ hands under it. Jess watches as the dirt and grime and blood disintegrate. She woman slowly reaches for a paper towel and runs water over it. She reaches up to wipe off the dried bile on Jess’ chin. Jessica just watches her hands. She sees them turn red from the heat, but she doesn’t feel it.

“Can I clean your legs up?” The woman asks. Jess nods absentmindedly. She reaches down and wipes the bile that happened to land on Jess’ knee. “There you go—Oh my God!”

Jess’ hands were now bright red from the steaming hot water. She’s nearly scalded, but Jess feels nothing. She stares at her hands, wondering if they belong to her. They have to, right? They are in front of her. But, no. These are scraped and bloodied. They aren’t the hands she uses.

The policewoman rips Jess’ hands from the hot water and wraps them in another paper towel. “Honey, come along now.” She seems alarmed, with her eyes wide and alert, but Jess feels nothing; she doesn’t see the gravity of the situation. “We gotta get you back to the interview room.” The woman picks up the blanket on the ground and wraps it around Jess’ shoulders. She takes her elbows and guides her to the door.

As they walk down the hallway back to the interview room, Jess spots Matt. He sits on a bench outside one of the interview rooms. He’s staring at the floor, nearly in shock. He looks up and locks eyes with Jess. Something ignites in Jess; for a moment, she leaves this comatose state. “Matt…” She mumbles. No one hears her.

At that moment, he is the only thing that is real to her. She remembers vividly what happened; he found her, he caught her, he saved her. She may not be able to recognize herself, her body, but she knows Matt was there last night, with her. He held onto her while that thing chased them and hunted them.

The policewoman stops and calls over a colleague. “We need ice,” she whispers. “She’s having a mental breakdown due to last night’s trauma. She nearly cooked her skin off right now.”

They quickly discuss Jess’ state, something about blood loss mixed with sleep deprivation. Matt and Jess hold eye contact. Matt seems shaken but stable. He smiles weakly at her. “Matt…”

She stumbles over to him. The woman behind her says something, trying to get her away, but Jess makes a beeline for him. She falls into him. “Matt… Matt…” She mumbles. He looks down at her, confused.

“Jess? Are you okay?” He pushes her up so he can look at her face. She looks away. She has a distant look to her, like she isn’t in this world.

“You saved me,” she murmurs. “You saved me from the thing…” She shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She sees its chalky skin and long fingers. It’s coming for her. “No, no,” she stutters. She begins to fight Matt. The thing skitters towards her like a spider. “No, get away!” She begins to fight Matt’s grip, who holds on tighter. “Get away! No!” It crawls behind her, but she can feel it standing there. “Stop! Get—get away from me!”

She sees its arms creep around her, engulfing her. It’s pulling her away. “ _No!_ ” She sees Matt in front of her. He lets go of Jessica, but he seems scared. He must see it, behind her. “Matt! Matt help!” She calls. Her voice is faint, but she tries to call out. He’s getting farther away. Its hands grip her tighter, dragging her away to the elevator shaft.

“Help me! Save me! Matt!” She cries frantically, her voice gaining strength. “Kill it! Kill it!” She struggles, kicking and screaming. The claws dig into her skin. and pull her into the elevator.

She screams bloody murder. “Let go of me! I said _let go of me!_ ”

She looks up. She sees someone coming for her. They walk slowly, holding out a hand. “Matt? _Matt! Anyone! Help me_!” She wails. Her throat feels raw from screaming. She thinks she feels tears on her cheeks.

The door begins to close. She begins to fight for her life. The thing shoves her onto the ground and restrains her. It takes one long claw and holds it to her face. It hisses in her ear.

“No, get off, get off!” She jerks to free herself from her restraints. “You can’t—no—get _off!_ ” She sobs.

She looks up one more time before it takes its claw and digs it into her arm. She screams from the sharp pain. “Matt! Matt, come back!” She sees him, coming closer. It’s him! He’s coming for her! He is alive!

In one last attempt to save herself, as the light fades from her eyes, she cries out desperately, frantically.

_“Mike!”_


	2. It's Here.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess finds herself in a hospital, unable to remember the previous night's events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if there are any errors or spelling mistakes. Please let me know in the comments, and I'll fix them right quick! Now, enjoy~

At first, she just feels pain. She aches down to her core, to her bones. She can barely move her muscles. She shifts in place, and her nerves fire off signals of pure agony. She groans, and feels the rawness of her throat. Even her eyelids feel heavy and sore to the point where she cannot even open them.

“Jessica?” Jess jumps from the sudden sound. She scrambles to sit  up, her eyes now wide open. Her heart races as she looks around frantically.

A woman stands at the end of her bed. She has a round, plump face and a comforting smile. “Hello, Jessica,” she says. “How are you, sweetie?” Jess doesn’t answer for a moment, but instead takes in her surroundings. She has tubes in her arm. One of them supplies her with blood. She looks down, noticing the starchy hospital gown on her person.

“I…” Jess cannot talk. Her voice sounds raspy and broken as she forces herself to speak. “What happened?” Is all she can muster.

The nurse changed to a more sympathetic tone. “You made a scene last night, darling.” Jessica struggles to remember what happened, but everything is cloudy and lost. She shakes her head, attempting to get it out, to find clarity. She shuts her eyes tight, her brow furrowing. She struggles to find something, to hold onto something from last night.

“I can’t remember,” she mutters, looking to the nurse. “I just remember the interview…” Jessica begins to shake. “Why can’t I remember anything?” She holds herself, rocking back and forth. Her lip quivers. Her eyes tear up as she shuts them again.

“Honey, sweetie,” the nurse approaches her bedside and places her hand on Jess’ knee. Jess sniffles as she coughs out a sob. “What do you remember?”

Jess looks in her head, scouring for last night’s events. “Just talking about what happened… I threw up.” She bites her lip. Jess turns to the nurse. “Can you tell me where I am? Can you tell me what happened?” She squeaks, her voice breaking.

The nurse takes a moment. Her eyes soften, become sad. “Honey, you had a break with reality.”

Jess doesn’t process it. “No, no, no…” She rubs her face, trying to clear her mind. “It doesn’t make any sense!” She snaps. “I don’t remember any of it.” Jess becomes violent, shaking and trying to get away from the nurse. “I have to leave. Where are my friends? Where’s Mike?”

The nurse holds tight to Jessica’s hands, trying to shush her. “Honey, honey, listen to me,” she demands. Jess shakes her head, trying to pull away. “Jessica, you are fine. You are safe here, okay? You’re safe, sweetie.”

“I’m not,” Jess whimpers. “I have to leave. I need to find Mike.” Jess cannot put up much of a fight. Her muscles feel weak and frail. With each pull and tug away, she feels her strength leave her. The nurse just repeats her consolations. “I’m not safe. I can’t remember last night!”

Jess begins to sob, giving up her fight. She falls into the nurse’s arms and shakes with each painful little whimper. The nurse pets Jess’ hair, soothing her. “You’re safe, sweetie. You’re in the hospital.” She forces Jess to look at her. “You lost a bit of blood. Do you remember what happened? Before you were interviewed?” Jess nods slowly, her eyes distant.

“Good. Well, I’ll be back to check on you later, right sweetie? If you need anything, press this button right here.” The nurse points to a little button to Jess’ left. “The police want to talk to you some more about last night. Okay?” The nurse backs away, and gives Jess a little smile. Jess hiccups as she comes down from her hysteria. “If you need anything sweetie, remember to push that button. My name is Mary.”

Jess smiles back to Mary. “Thank you,” she whispers. Mary smiles back before leaving the room.

Jess takes a deep breath, placing her head in her hands. She groans, mumbling to herself. When she looks back up, she notices her hands. They are bruised and torn, with gauze running around them. She notices she has stitches in her arms. “Oh, no…” She pulls her knees to her chest and buries her head between them. She can’t face herself. She can’t accept her injuries.

“Jessica Fletcher?” Jessica lifts her head to the voice. She recognizes him as the man who interviewed her last night. “I’m here to ask you more questions. Our interview got cut short last night.” He pulls up a chair near her bed and sits down.

“What happened last night?” Jessica asks abruptly. “The nurse, she said I had a break with reality or something…?”

The officer contemplates for a moment. “Okay, I am going to put this as delicately as possible.” Jessica sits still, waiting for him to continue. “You had what we call a psychotic break. We believe it was due to last night’s trauma, along with blood loss, sleep deprivation, dehydration and lack of food. We had to sedate you after you approached your friend, Matthew, and began to scream  Do you follow me?” Jessica nods. “Good. So, what do you remember from last night’s events?”

Jessica just shakes her head. “Nothing. I told the nurse, I just remember the interview. Everything after that, I blacked out.

“Where are my friends? Where’s Mike? Can they come visit me?” The officer loses his composure for a moment. He covers his mouth and shakes his head. He takes a moment before speaking.

“As of this moment, we cannot allow your friends to visit you. They are being treated here as well. After you regain your strength. you can see them around, probably. But for now, you are not in any condition to see them.

“Let’s move onto the questioning, shall we? We still have more to cover questions from last night.” He pulls out a pad and paper from his coat pocket, as well as a tape recorder. He sets it on the bedside table and hits record. “Now, you never told us how you got out of the mine.”

Jessica stretches out her legs. She fights through her foggy memory. She remembers waking up at the bottom of that mine shaft. She tells the officer how she found the coat, how she wandered through the mine for hours. “I nearly killed Matt…” She recounts. “I… I thought he was the thing and—”

“Hold on,” he interjects, waving his hand to stop her. “You keep mentioning ‘it’ and ‘that thing.’ Can you please clarify what ‘it’ is?”

Jess rubs her eye, shaking her head. “I… I don’t know what it is… The mines…” She sees the hand reach for her again. She shakes it off.

“What about the mines?”

She squeezes her eyes shut; her face contorts. “I, uh, i-it lives down there… I don’t know what it is… It came from down there…” She shifts in the bed. She looks up and sees it crawl up a wall. Her breath picks up as she balls the sheets in her hands. She tries to move back in her bed.

The officer doesn’t notice her discomfort as he jots down notes. “Okay,” he says, looking back up. “Continue with your story. What happened after you found Matt?”

“He told me that we weren’t alone, that there was a maniac on the mountain…”

“Is it possible that the maniac was the one who took you?”

Jess keeps her head down. The thing skitters towards her in the corner of her eye. “No. The thing that took me lives down there…” She pulls her knees to her chest to make herself as small as possible. She hugs her legs tightly. The thing sits across the room now, staring at her.

The officer makes a few more notes. “After that, what happened?”

“We tried to find a way out of the mine… But then the thing came back… It started chasing us… We had to hide.” She buries her head in her knees to avoid eye contact with it. It sits at the end of her bed, and it’s slowly creeping towards her. She feels its weight dip the bed. She knows she can’t run; she’s practically tied down, with the tubes in her arms making her sit.

“Jessica, are you alright?” The officer asks. “Would you like to stop this session? Is this causing you stress?”

“No,” she mumbles into her gown. “I’m fine.” She feels its icy breath on her arm. Its teeth scrape against her skin. She whimpers and sinks to the backboard.

“Very well. Continue.”

The thing crawls around her, onto the wall. It screeches into her ear. Jessica lets out a small whine. “I almost fainted,” she trembles, her voice cracking. “Matt caught me. We tried to get away, but it followed us again.”

“What did it look like?”

Jessica shakes her head. She wants to say it’s right here, above her. Look at the fucking thing yourself! But she can’t. She hopes that it will go away. It has to go away. Don’t acknowledge it and it will lose interest. She shakes her head.

“Miss Fletcher, can you answer the question? Knowing what this thing looked like might help us find it.

“I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t,” she cries. She shakes her head violently. “No, no, I can’t!” The thing now sits right in front of her. It scrapes its claws across her bandaged arms. Jess begins to shake. She hyperventilates, taking in quick, shallow breaths. She tries to go further back, but the headboard keeps her from doing so. “I need to get out of here, please!” Jess moves sporadically. She knocks the button at her side in the commotion.

The thing gets into Jess’ face and wails. Jess covers her ears and screams as well. “Get away, get away!” She squeezes her eyes close. She won’t look at it, she won’t.

She feels its hand clamp onto her arm. She screams, trying to pull away. She hears someone call her name. “Help me!” She cries. “Please, save me!”

“Jessica,” a faint voice calls. “Jessica, come back to me. Come back.” Jess opens her eyes. Mary greets her with a warm smile instead of those teeth.

“Would you like to go for a walk, sweetie?” She asks, taking Jess’ hand. “We can see your friends. Come on, hop out of bed.” Jess looks around, confused. It’s gone. She sees the officer across the way, speaking to someone over the phone. She cannot hear what he says.

“Jessica, honey, come up out of bed,” Jess steps onto the cold hospital floor. She hesitates, however. The cold seeps into her feet. It reminds her of the mine. “Come along,” Mary encourages. Jess takes a few baby steps and stumbles. Her legs ache. “Watch your step there, sweetie.”

She takes the IV and rolls it to Jess. “Here, take this. You can’t move much without it, okay sweetie?” Jess take it in hand. Mary guides her out of the room and into the hall. “We’re going to take a short walk around the unit, okay sweetie?” Jess nods.

Mary guides Jess by the arm. She cannot walk by herself, and needs Mary’s support. “Baby steps, sweetie,” she says as Jess trips over herself.

“Can I see Mike?” Jess asks as they turn a corner. The nurse shakes her head. “No, sweetie. I’m afraid that—”

Someone calls out to Jessica, interrupting Mary. Jess looks to the source of the voice. She sees Matt down the hall. He appears the same as Jess: hospital gown, IV rolling alongside him, and bandaged. He walks towards her, beaming with relief. “Jess!”

Jess smiles meekly. “Hey, Matt…”

“Hey, howya feelin? Doing better?” He reaches out to touch her, but Jess flinches and steps back.

“I guess…” Suddenly, Jess feels dizzy. She staggers and grips her IV for support.

“Whoa, there!” Matt catches her before she falls completely. He helps bring her back to her feet. Her hair fell in her face, but he pushes the strand aside. “I was worried about you last night, you know. You looked terrified.”

Jess shrugs. “I don’t remember any of it…” Matt looks shocked.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What do you mean you don’t remember any of it?”

Jess shrugs again. “I don’t remember any of it… Everyone is telling me I had a mental breakdown or something. I just remember the interview.” She peeks around Matt. She doesn’t see any of her other friends. “Have you seen Mike around? I really want to talk to him…”

Matt’s face falters, his smile dropping to a frown. He stutters for a moment as he searches for words to say. “Oh, Jesus—” Matt exhales, licking his lips. His eyes become teary. He runs a hand through his hair.

“Okay, Jess,” he sighs, gripping Jess’ shoulders. “I hate to tell you this, but—” He interrupts himself, cursing under his breath. “Fuck, Jess… Fuck!” He takes in a deep breath in an attempt to regain his composure.

“Jess,” he trails off, looking Jess dead in the eye.

“Fuck, Jess… Mike, h-he’s dead.”


End file.
